Even with short winters here in Boise, the season can get long for a warm-weather-lover like myself. So having fun events to look forward to is imperative for me! One of the fun events we like to plan to attend during the winter is the McCall Winter Carnival. It’s a fun chance to get up in the mountains, walk around the little resort town sipping on hot cocoa or coffee, and enjoy the scenery. There are always multiple snow sculptures to see around town, making just a simple stroll a fun adventure!
This year we jetted up there for a very quick trip, but even just the drive itself felt like part of the vacation since the scenery is gorgeous. We are having a dry winter so snow was on the light side, but once we got into it north of Banks, snow became more prevalent which added another element to the beautiful drive. Our overnighter was stayed at a hotel so Lucy could enjoy the pool, and boy, did she ever enjoy that. I think it was the highlight of the trip for her! Or maybe eating fresh snow… hard to say. Friday afternoon we made it into town with plenty of time to explore and check out the ice sculptures, and Chase got to fly his drone around for some fun views of the frozen lake which was pretty breathtaking with the fog settling in. For dinner, we ate at the great Salmon River Brewery which is extremely family friendly and the staff is so nice. Sometimes in resort towns, visitors can get a snubbed feeling by townies and employees there, but this trip I didn’t get that impression at all! Then we got in on a little live music downtown at Depot Park on the main stage- Lucy got quite the attention with her stellar dance moves! Saturday, Lucy wasn’t in the best mood so we ended up heading back home pretty early but not before enjoying a treat and a coffee from Mountain Java. On our way out of town, we enjoyed a pretty drive through Ponderosa State Park and added our favorite campsites to the list of summer places to go- they also have yurts that I’m dying to stay in! Sometimes a simple overnight stay can give just the right taste of a new place- just enough flavor to make you want to go back again later.
Trip Summary:
Stay: The Hunt Lodge
Eat: Salmon River Brewery, Mountain Java
Do: Browse around town, see ice sculptures, and listen to live music
